Star Crossed: An Awakening
by dirtyShoes
Summary: Not so long ago, in the suburbs of modern Tokyo... A homely girl with low aspirations (Kasumi Tendo) is united with her destiny as two old souls find new life. None can claim to fully understand the will of the Force, but surely things like this don't happen without good reason.
1. Kiss

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm/Disney. Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is in no way intended to generate a profit.

 ** _Star Crossed: An Awakening_**

Chapter One: Kiss

It had been a bright and cool autumn Sunday the day her life was changed forever. Kasumi Tendo, like any other weekend, had been humming blissfully to herself as she walked back from the local market. She and the basket of fresh vegetables she held close to her body were warmed by the late morning sun as her mind pondered which recipe would be best for an evening meal. So engrossed in thought was she that she failed to notice the speeding car run the red light as she used the cross walk. The sound of skidding tires was the last thing she remembered hearing before pain and blackness overtook her.

The series of events that followed were, from her perspective, a noisy blur punctuated by moments of extreme panic. Horrifyingly realistic visions of impossible instances, intermingled with fleeting seconds of lucidity, dominated her perception. She saw and felt misery, hope, love, and death with no rhyme or reason. It was as if she had touched on a higher existence with access to a vast knowledge too great for her small human mind to make sense of.

Of course, after awakening from her coma, her rational mind had compartmentalized those experiences into something she could comprehend. Near death experiences, apparently, were often life changing events for most individuals and settling back in to everyday life was expectedly difficult. It had been easy to fool herself into thinking that that was all they were. Especially when the hospital psychologist she had seen insisted such was the case. However, it wasn't merely the memory that continued to plague her.

After being home for only a few days, strange things had started to happen. Sometimes, while looking in the mirror, she would see someone else's reflection looking back at her. Other times, she would hear voices or be overcome with intense waves of emotion. Her emotions, it seemed, were strongly affected by the people who surrounded her. And, since she had awoken from her coma in the midst of the holiday season, everyone was home for Christmas break.

Since she was still undergoing physical rehabilitation and confined to a wheelchair, she was limited in what she could do to help around the house. Which was fine with her, actually. Despite witnessing the obvious reluctance with which her father, sisters, and the Saotomes took over her usual domestic duties, she felt no rush of desire to relieve them. Especially when she finally concluded that most of the negative emotions she was picking up on belonged to them. She couldn't blame them, though. They just weren't cut out for that sort of thing.

Despite appreciating the break, she soon found herself wishing for some other sort of distraction as the weird occurrences playing havoc with her senses began to intensify. Random glimpses and voices eventually gave way to full on visions of the most bizarre quality. In one instance, she found herself standing in the middle of a vast desert staring up at two Suns. Two! And the heat, sandy wind, and parched feeling in her throat were so real that she nearly went into a panic. Then, suddenly, she was back in her room sitting in front of her open window. It had all been so real.

Things only got worse after that.

In her dreams she lived another life entirely. The life of a slave, of a hero, a lover, and a villain all rolled into one. Every night a new piece of the puzzle would fall into place and fill in the story of this person's life. Her life. She would often wake in the middle of the night crying. For the things done to her and the things she did to others. Many of them terrible, unforgivable, things. More than once, she would wake up the house with her screams and sobbing. Her father or sisters would come into her room to comfort her and put her back to sleep. But rest never came easy to her after one of her spells.

Tonight had started much like the others. She found herself laying on her back, wide awake, and staring at the ceiling. After being awoken from a nightmare and comforted by Nabiki, she had opted to stay awake while playing back the images in her mind's eye.

Lava and fire had swirled around her much like the raging hatred and betrayal she had felt welling inside of her. Those feelings, normally foreign to her, felt so familiar and deeply personal as she looked upon a bearded man with pleading eyes brimmed with tears. _'You were my brother! I loved you!'_ His anguished cry simultaneously struck her heart with unadulterated loathing and cold determination to end his life. He was to blame for everything, she knew it in her gut. When the searing pain of having her limbs removed came, she had been made aware of her own screaming and came to with Nabiki shaking her awake. Akane had been beside her with tears in her eyes. Seeing her two younger sisters agonizing over her like that only made things worse. The effects were becoming too much to bear.

So it was that, as she laid there in silence, she took in a deep breath and tried something she had seen done in one of her visions. In an effort to calm herself, she steadied her breathing and descended into a meditative state. To her utter surprise, she actually felt it. That which, through her dreams, she had come to know as the Force. She welcomed it's soothing embrace and released her discomfort into it to be carried away. Wrapped in its warmth, she experienced her first bit of restful sleep in what felt like ages.

Her world was filled with wonder the following morning when she awoke to find that the pain she had been working to overcome was gone. Her bones, muscles, and joints, once inflamed and aching, now moved easily without protest. She climbed out of her bed, unaided, and savored the feeling of the cool tatami under her bare feet. The sheer joy she felt at being able to do something so simple would probably have baffled someone else but she wasn't even close to thinking objectively at that point. That was why, without a second thought, she thrust her bedroom door open and sprinted down the stairs - making quite the racket in the process. Her rapid footfalls had roused the rest of the household.

When they trickled out of their rooms one by one and undoubtedly realized that Kasumi was the one responsible, they followed her trail and gathered by the open shoji on the ground floor. Kasumi stood in the snowy yard; entranced by the beautiful sunrise climbing above the wall surrounding their home. She looked over her shoulder upon noticing the assembly and greeted them with a beaming smile. Her joy boiled over into near hysterical laughter as she twirled around with her arms outstretched - letting everyone know in no uncertain terms that she was okay. Her father and Akane shed tears while everyone wore smiles of similar joy or relief.

Then, abruptly, Kasumi dropped flat on her back into the snow.

Gasps escaped the observers and they all leapt off of the wooden veranda in an effort to reach her. Then she burst into laughter as she started swinging her arms and legs over the icy powder to create a snow angel. "What are you all waiting for!?" she exclaimed. "We can't let this go to waste!"

When nobody came, Kasumi sat up and registered the collective incredulity on the faces of her family and friends. She took advantage of their pause to grab handfuls of the magical winter substance and initiate a snow fight. Ironically enough, Nabiki, the only non martial artist among them, had the presence of mind to dodge while the rest ate frozen water for breakfast. It achieved her desired effect of spurring everyone into action. After that, all bets were off.

A snowball blitz was the reason four Tendos and two Saotomes showed up to actual breakfast soaked to the bone with melted snow and chattering teeth. Even so, it was with huge grins and wild gesticulations as they recounted the grand battle and who among them was the ultimate victor. The cheer no doubt extended to the fact that Kasumi had decided to seize the reigns of the kitchen once again.

Ranma-chan poked her head into the kitchen as Kasumi was diligently preparing their fish and rice on the stove top right beside the warming kettle reserved for the two Saotomes. Kasumi had sensed the redhead coming and turned around just in time to see the younger girl walk in.

"Hey, Kasumi-chan. It's really good to have you back. I missed you," Ranma said, with a warm smile. "I mean, it's not just that Akane almost killed me with her cooking every other day but... oh, man, how do I say it..." she trailed off. Then her scrunched up brow smoothed over as she found the right words. "You, uh... well... things just are better when you're happy and healthy."

Kasumi giggled at Ranma's discomfort. "Well, thank you, Ranma. It's good to be back. I'll have your hot water ready in a few more minutes, okay?"

Ranma gave her a sheepish grin and a nod before excusing herself. Then, one by one, everyone else paid her a visit to express similar sentiments. It was all very warming to hear them speak so openly.

After breakfast, everyone took turns using the bath while she started a load of laundry and tidied up the kitchen. She was surprised at how easily she settled back in and, before she knew it, she found herself humming a familiar tune. It took her a moment to realize that it was the same tune she had been humming before the car had hit her. A sudden chill washed over her and set the hairs on the back of her neck rising then.

Before the panic could grip her any tighter, she closed her eyes and stretched out with her feelings to touch the Force once again. An immediate calm swept away the unwanted sensation and put her at ease. It also surprised her. Before, she had been uncertain if the force was merely a figment of her feverish nightmares. Even the unexpected healing of her body hadn't solidified her belief. Now, though, she was certain.

She reached out with a hand, half motivated by instinct and half by curiosity, as she focused on the now empty kettle resting atop the counter. She furrowed her brow as she felt it's weight and shape from across the room. A moment later, to her astonishment, it answered the call of her will and floated into her open hands. Then she dropped it before letting out an ear splitting scream.

The fire came back in all its roiling agony, crawling up her amputated legs to engulf her body as she grasped, with her one good arm, up the gravelly slope. Faces flashed across her mind scape as she burned, though the names to go with them escaped her. The bearded man from before; he was there. Then the woman with soulful eyes and long brown hair, who she had seen so many times before, was there. And then there was the hooded figure with a grotesque face and sinister grin; its raspy laughing pierced her heart and tormented her very soul.

* * *

Kasumi's characteristic scream pierced through the thin shoji to reach the ears of everyone present. Ranma, having been in the midst of scrubbing her body clean, was the last one to arrive on the scene. What she saw was quite unsettling. The eldest Tendo girl was writhing on the kitchen floor surrounded by a halo of debris floating all around her. Broken flatware and chunks of tatami floated in the air all around her. The immense pressure of the unseen power, rolling off of her in waves, kept everyone from approaching without being pushed backward.

"Kasumi!" Soun wailed as he struggled to stay on his feet.

The whole house was rattling and creaking now. Dust fell from the ceiling as its wooden skeleton shook it loose. Nabiki and Akane leaned on each other for support while Genma crawled forward on all fours without making any progress.

"Kasumi-chan!" Ranma shouted as she sprinted headlong into the pressure and willingly took the beating. Her slippered feet skid along the smooth floor so she took a tip from her old man and dug her fingers into it after falling onto her hands. With all her strength and will, she clawed forward as if climbing up a sheer cliff. Her lazy old man gave up as soon as he saw her take over.

"Save my baby, Ranma! Save her!" Soun cried.

The pressure, which felt like a suffocating gale force wind on top of a compounded gravity slammed against Ranma's flesh as she inched further toward Kasumi. At last, after an agonizing crawl, she got within arms reach and managed to lay a hand on the tortured girl's arm. "Kasumi, listen... it's gonna be okay. Whatever this is... you can stop it now, okay? You're safe with us." When the pressure didn't let up, Ranma tried again - more desperately. "Please, Kasumi... you're hurting me."

 _"Please, Ani... you're hurting me. You're breaking my heart."_

Kasumi's writhing abruptly ceased, though the pressure remained. "Padme..." she said in little more than a whisper.

Ranma's hands shot up to her throat as her airway was suddenly constricted by an unseen force. "Kas... Kasumi..." she choked out desperately.

 _"I'm afraid, that in your anger... you killed her."_

"Padme! No!" Kasumi shouted, suddenly opening her eyes. When she did, she saw Ranma - purple faced and gasping - crouched over her with a horrifying look in her eyes. Kasumi yelped and suddenly the redhead dropped her hands before sucking in a huge gasp of air. "Ranma!" she said frantically. She hauled herself to her knees and brought her hands up to the younger girl before checking her over. "Are you okay?"

Ranma put a hand up to block Kasumi and shuffled away from her as quickly as possible.

When Kasumi saw the eyes Ranma was looking upon her with, her heart fell to pieces. She dropped her arms and backed away to give Ranma her space. Nobody else seemed to realize exactly what had happened because they all came crowding in around her while mostly ignoring Ranma. She was the only one to notice the martial artist quietly slip away from the group.

* * *

Ranma lunged at his enemy with a furious straight fist to which he hit nothing but air. He followed up with a rising knee, propelling himself into the air and carrying his momentum into an aerial backflip. His wispy foe flowed around his strikes yet again so, when he touched down, he immediately transitioned into a sweeping kick meant to remove feet from floor. Again no contact. He carried on like that until he could no longer stand.

An hour later, he found himself collapsed on the dojo floor panting like a champion triathlete while his sparring partner danced mockingly against the far wall. The flickering shadow cast from the candlelight would never tire, of course. And, just this once, it hadn't been about facing an opponent he could physically beat. The real fight had been on the inside, after all.

He stared up at the ceiling as he recalled the incident from several days ago. Life threatening situations were not a new thing for him. He had been through many. However, he had never come so close to having his life snuffed out in such a way. Unpleasant though suffocation may have been, that really wasn't what had had him so disturbed.

There had been a moment when Kasumi's phantom had clamped around his throat long enough to render him into a state between life and death. In that twilight, a vision had come to him. A vision of a man with yellow rimmed eyes wielding an invisible grip on his throat - just like her. Though it was over nearly as soon as it had started, one thing did remain. When he looked upon Kasumi again, he saw the man with yellow rimmed eyes looking back.

* * *

The weeks following Kasumi's return home saw her uncontrollable fits all but diminish entirely. Her conscious connection to the Force grew stronger as well. Still, though, the rift between Ranma and herself remained. She watched him from afar sometimes, silently working up the nerve to explain herself - now that she was actually capable of doing so. Indeed, there was no more doubt in her mind about what had befallen her. The Force had proven to be a very real thing. So was the knowledge of her past life as she had come to know it.

Though she was now confident that she could use her abilities to share what she had seen, she had no desire to pressure anyone. She had already tried to explain things to her family the old fashioned way, even going so far as to levitate things for them. That simply hadn't been enough for them to believe her story. Though, she could admit, it did sound rather ridiculous when spoken aloud. It was after that that she sought to open her mind to them as a means of sharing and, through the Force, she learned it was indeed possible. Getting anyone to agree to such a thing had turned out to be even more of a challenge, though.

With little else to do, she had spent many hours meditating and reflecting on recent events. Through her reflections, it became painfully obvious that Ranma had already caught a glimpse of her personal truth. It was the only thing that could explain his behavior. She only wished that she could complete the story for him - make him understand. For Kasumi, having people frightened by her or angry with her was like having knife jabbed in her heart. It was one of her strongest desires to have peace with everyone and she hated to consider the possibility of losing even one friend. However, the longer she waited, the more she feared that she would lose Ranma forever.

It was after further meditation that she came up with a way to get around the distance and rejection.

She waited until nightfall and used her feelings to sense when it was safe to enter the guest room, where Ranma and his father stayed. It only took her a few minutes to get comfortable beside him and use the Force to touch his mind in a way that would leave him with nothing more than a vivid dream to reflect on upon his waking. The unexpected happened when she made the connection, though. Something within Ranma's soul awoke and resonated with her own. A warm familiarity washed over her and, before she knew it, she had reached a hand up to turn his sleeping face toward her own. "Padme, is that you in there?" she whispered.

Unable to resist the call, she leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips while shedding tears. "Oh, Padme... my Padme," she whispered, stroking his face. "Is this real? Have you come back to me?"

Ranma stirred in his sleep and grumbled something under his breath. "Get away, Kuno... I'll never date... never... make me sick..."

That sobered Kasumi somewhat and allowed her the moment she needed to remind herself that he wasn't actually Padme. Just like she wasn't actually that slave boy who had fallen in love with her. Not anymore, at least. She and him were two unique individuals with their own lives to live and their own decisions to make. Somehow, though, that thought didn't make her feel any better.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his ear before carefully and quietly removing herself from his side. She stole one last glance at his face before heading for the door.

Ranma rolled over and sighed before unconsciously uttering the words that would haunt the rest of Kasumi's night. "Ani... you're breaking my heart..."

Kasumi flinched, stopping in her tracks, and then looked over her shoulder. "I'm sorry... so so sorry," she said. She closed the door behind her and went up to her room where she spent the rest of the night crying in silence.

* * *

The next morning, Ranma suffered a rude awakening at the hands of his father when he was quite literally yanked out of his sleep and tossed into the yard. Needless to say, being thrown into a koi pond in the middle of winter had made him rather upset. "What the hell!?" she shouted as she surfaced and crawled onto the icy grass.

"You're slacking today, boy," Genma said as he stepped out onto the lawn. "You didn't attack me when I grabbed you, so this is what you get. I guess it's time I took you back to school."

Ranma, who was wringing the blisteringly cold water from her braid and pajamas, scoffed at the old man. "Only one needing an education is you, ya old fart."

"Then come and get me, little girl. If you can," Genma added before taking a stance.

Ranma was about to come back with an insult of her own as she got to her feet, but was staggered when a vision unexpectedly rammed into her head with the force of a freight train.

 _"I've got wonderful news, Ani. I'm pregnant."_

 _"That...that's fantastic! I'm going to be a father..."_

 _"What are we going to do? If the council finds out..."_

 _"Don't worry, my love. We'll find a way. I promise you."_

"Haaahhh!" Ranma shouted, eyes snapping open as she regained consciousness. She looked around and found that, instead of lying in wet grass, someone had brought her inside. How long had she been out of it?

Sitting up, she realized she had been laying on her futon in the guest room. Her wet pajamas had also been exchanged for something clean and dry. On the floor beside her was a thermos. She checked and, sure enough, it was filled with hot water. Thankful to whoever had brought it, she upended it over her head and was relieved to be a man again.

He climbed to his feet and left his room to wander the house. It was much too quiet for his liking so he had his guard up as he exited the hall and came into the sitting room. The shogi board mister Tendo and his pop usually hogged was currently abandoned. He looked up at the clock mounted on the opposite wall and saw that it was past noon already. "What the hell-"

A shuffling noise caught his attention and he rounded into the kitchen just in time to see Kasumi enter through the side door.

"Oh, Ranma! You're awake," she said, her face expressing her surprise. "Thank goodness."

Ranma took a step backward, still uneasy in the Tendo girl's presence, and regarded her carefully. "Um... I guess I missed school today, huh?"

"Well, you were thoroughly out of it for awhile..." Kasumi replied, noticeably avoiding making eye contact with him. "I hope you don't mind, but I had to get you out of those wet clothes so you didn't get sick..."

Ranma barely suppressed a flinch before brushing her off as casually as he could. "No, no, that's fine. I was a girl at the time and, well... I trust you... I guess..."

Kasumi brought her head up and locked eyes with him. "Ranma... about before; I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-"

Ranma cut her off with a clipped laugh that was blatantly forced and a nervous grin. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kasumi-chan. As far as I'm concerned, you and me are cool. Hey, I just remembered something that I needed to do so... I'm gonna get outta here, okay?"

"Ranma, wait," Kasumi said, raising the volume of her voice slightly. Ranma, who had just turned his back on her, stopped short and looked sidelong at her over his shoulder. "Please just let me explain myself, okay? I can't let things go on like this anymore."

Ranma noted the girl's pleading expression as he observed her. The yellow eyes he had seen on her before were now a crystalline blue and much more welcoming. Still, it was a hard thing to shake off. "If this is about your new psychic mind thing... I've already heard everything from Akane and Nabiki. It's neat and all, but I'm not really interested in that kind of stuff. So, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna-"

"Ranma, stop!" Kasumi snapped, surprising them both. He turned around and sized her up before staring her straight in the eyes with unwavering attention. "Everyone thinks they have me pegged - that I just bumped my head a bit too hard and got all mixed up. But you...you've seen through that. I know you have. So, _please_... talk to me?"

Ranma replied first with a sigh of resignation before carefully choosing his next words. "So what if I did? How does that change anything?"

"It changes everything, Ranma. On so many levels. I don't know how much you remember, but this... _us_... it's extraordinary," Kasumi said, gesturing with her hands. "It's the Force... I think the Force did this. Don't you think that, just maybe, this could be our second chance?"

Ranma furrowed his brow and folded his arms over his chest while narrowing his eyes. " _Us_? Kasumi, you're not making any sense. There is no 'us.' And I don't know what you mean by the 'force.' The only thing I saw through was that facade of yours. I don't know how you've been able to hide it for so long - that _darkness_ \- but, now that I've felt it, ain't no way things are going back to the way they were before. I've seen the things you did and I don't think _murderers_ get second chances. The only reason I haven't said anything to anybody is because I know they wouldn't believe me."

Kasumi looked like she had been slapped across the face. "No... I thought you... haven't you seen anything else? I could've sworn I gave you what you needed..."

"Gave me?" Realization dawned on Ranma's face before his eyes took on the far away quality of someone who's mind was playing back events. " _You_! It was you! You've been messing with my head, haven't you?"

The look of betrayal on his face was hard for Kasumi to bear. "Ranma, I swear I'd never intentionally do anything to hurt you. I just needed you to see the whole story... needed you to know that it wasn't really me. Don't you remember anything else? Are you even still my Padme?"

Ranma went rigid upon registering Kasumi's last statement. "H-How do you...know that word? No, wait. Of course you know it. You put it in my head. Gah, this is all so confusing!" he yelled, scrunching his eyes closed and grabbing the sides of his head. "Whatever you did to me...it's driving me insane!"

"Oh, Force... what have I done?" Kasumi breathed as she took a step toward him. "Ranma, your nose is bleeding!"

"Huh?" he replied, opening his eyes to stare at the gobs of red falling to the floor from his dripping nose. His vision began to swim as he suddenly realized how light headed he had become. As blackness started to creep in from his peripherals, he looked back up at Kasumi - who had begun to cry - and growled out his next words. "Stay away from me... monster."

* * *

So...yeah. Kasumi is Anakin reincarnated. Ranma is Padme. How much weirder can this get? Very.

-shoes


	2. Temptation

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm/Disney. Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is in no way intended to generate a profit.

 ** _Star Crossed: An Awakening_**

Chapter Two: Temptation

Kasumi didn't know how long she had been running but, when she finally came back to her senses, the sun had gone down and she was out of breath. As her breathing leveled off and she became fully aware of her surroundings, she realized that she had completely left civilization behind as well.

All she could see in every direction was densely wooded forest with snow powder lightly covering the ground - all illuminated by moonlight piercing the tree canopy. It was also eerily quiet since most woodland creatures tended to be less active in the cold.

Now that she thought about it, she was also starting to feel the chill seeping deeper into her flesh. She had to make a decision soon. Either she returned home or opted to find another form of shelter. Before she could settle on said decision, though, the sound of twigs being trampled alerted her to something even more important.

She turned her head in the direction from which the noise had come and spotted a pair of eyes reflecting the moonlight from behind low brush. Another twig and she aimed her gaze onto a different point in the darkness. More shiny eyes. It didn't take her long to realize what that meant. She was being hunted - most likely by wolves.

Kasumi slowly sucked in a breath while quietly counting how many pairs of eyes she could clearly identify. Then, on her exhale, she burst into a sprint in the opposite direction. She had counted five hungry wolves but there was no way for her to be sure. Either way, she had to lose them or hide somewhere they couldn't reach her if she wanted to keep her skin unbroken.

Her warm breath came out in rapid puffs of fog as she skipped over fallen branches and avoided the many pitfalls in her way. Her eyes had adjusted well to the night. Though, not as well as her pursuers. A low growl caught her attention and she realized that at least one of the animals was almost caught up with her.

She reached out to the Force, in desperation, and it replied by imbuing her body with strength beyond her imagining. Her incredible second wind allowed her to pour on the speed and open up the gap. Before she knew it, she was vaulting over impeding obstacles like an Olympian. Jutting boulders, fallen logs, and pitfalls had become nothing to her. Without realizing it, her exhilaration transformed into laughter and she forgot the mortal fear she had felt just moments ago.

Her laughter died soon after, though, when she came skidding to a halt at the edge of a long drop off.

She barely resisted the rising panic that threatened to cripple her survival instinct long enough to make a decision. After a quick count of three, she took a running leap over the edge and allowed herself to fall to the bottom of the frozen ravine. Putting as much faith in the Force as she dared, she thrust her arms outward in the same way someone might do to break a much shorter fall and held her breath. Like a flood, waves of invisible pressure crashed against the ground and swirled into a pool that softened her landing by first swallowing her and then letting her sink gently to the bottom.

When her feet touched snowy earth once again, she took a knee and sucked in air to catch her breath. That had taken more out of her than she had anticipated. She fought off a wave of dizziness and hauled herself back to her feet a moment later.

Looking back up at where she had come from, she saw one of the wolves poke its head out of the brush and look down at her before lifting its head to howl at the moon. The rest of its pack replied with howls of their own and Kasumi realized that she may have evaded them for now, but they weren't likely to give up. She let out an exasperated breath and then rolled her head back onto her shoulders to look up at the starry sky.

It was a perfectly clear, well lit, night now that she was out from under the tree cover. Not a single cloud drifted overhead, and the moon was near full. In this kind of visibility, the hunters lost some of their advantage. She lowered her gaze and scanned the edges of her high walled environment. The two opposing cliff faces were mostly rocky with the occasional tree root branching out near the top. Both were very near vertical and thus next to impossible for a quadrupedal animal with no opposable fingers to climb down. It was probably several kilometers down stream before things flattened out, so she was no longer in immediate danger.

The reprieve allowed her to gather her wits and focus on listening to the Force. It had guided her away from danger and now it would guide her safely home. Breathing slow and deep, she opened her mind to it. Whispers too soft for her ears to translate echoed all around her as a chilling breeze brushed against the parts of her skin not covered in fabric. Then, when a distinct voice spoke loud enough for her to understand, her concentration was broken. It had called her name.

Her eyes snapped open and found the direction from where the voice had come. It was further uphill and the opposite direction of home. She closed her eyes again and tried regaining focus. This time, instead of a voice, she felt a mild tug pull at her gut. If it truly was the Force communicating with her, then it wanted her to continue scaling the mountain. She steeled her resolve before taking off to answer the call.

Some minutes later, after traversing the treacherous ice of the frozen river beneath her feet, she arrived within sight of a frozen waterfall. Aside from its eye catching beauty, there was only one thing that stood out about it; the cave at its base. Had it been any other time than the coldest winter on record, the cave would have been obscured by running water. Kasumi was beginning to get the sense that everything she had gone through, in the passed few weeks, was to prepare her for this moment.

As she approached the mouth of the cave, a spark of doubt was lit in her chest and she stopped just short of entering. Whatever was inside, be it good or bad, she was certain of one thing; there could be no going back. Any chance she currently had of salvaging a normal life would be tossed to the wind if she went through with this.

Her mind played back all those times where no matter how ridiculous things may have seemed, they were still safe and familiar. She knew her place in life and everyone else around her had known theirs. It had been comforting, if a bit dull and predictable. But, still, it had been hers - and hers alone.

The place calling to her now was something shared and almost assuredly fraught with perils too great for her to handle alone. And if she couldn't handle it alone, then what did that leave her? Would she be forced to stop holding back and fully embrace her old self? The thought of losing her current identity and being swallowed by Anakin Skywalker seemed a very real threat. Despite having had moments were she slipped - the prime example being in the presence of Ranma - she had not let herself fall. Even the seemingly irreparable damage she had caused to that friendship was not the worst thing that could've happened.

Anakin had been a complex person with equal amounts passion and conflict in his heart. As capable of loving compassion as he was for hateful destruction. Kasumi, on the other hand, prided herself in her ability to remain peacefully neutral. Her serenity wasn't a natural gift, though. Her mother's death had thrown her world into disarray and the years she had spent developing that trait had been her way of coping. As a result, she had all but forgotten who the real Kasumi Tendo was. Her biggest fear was the potential discovery that, underneath everything, she might have more in common with that man than not and, if she fell, that she wouldn't even want to come back.

As she stood there, silently contemplating her decision, a scene from her old life unfolded before her mind's eye. Anakin stood with his back to his mother, trying to appear brave, as he looked ahead to the waiting Qui-gon, despite the fear gripping his heart. Tatooine's ever present dust swirled around them all and, although he wanted to blame the choked up feeling on the pesky sand, he couldn't deny the truth. He feared the life he was leaving behind more than the unknown one ahead of him. Specifically, he worried about what would happen to those he cared about in his absence. Then, he did something he had promised himself he wouldn't do. He ran back into his mother's arms, ready to give up before he even got started. Surprisingly, that turned out to be a good thing. The words of encouragement she gave him were just what he needed. It was then that he realized what she saw in him. He was her hero. He didn't have to be fearless to make her proud. All he had to do was try.

Kasumi wiped a stray tear from her face before boldly taking a step into the unknown.

* * *

"Ranma! Wake up!"

"Wake up, Ranma!"

"Get up, boy! Stop being a wuss!"

"Please tell me what happened to my daughter, Ranma! Did she have another episode and do this to you?"

Trying to tune out the voices of the people around him, Ranma squinted his eyes while working his jaw open and closed. He had fallen on his face before blacking out and it hurt something fierce. Something else hurt much worse, though. His heart.

After passing out, Ranma had been whisked away to a place where his soul felt at home. In that lapse of time, he had lived an entirely different life from birth to death. He had never felt so small and yet so significant at the same time.

Most importantly, he realized that the animosity he had directed toward Kasumi had been uncalled for. She, like him, was merely dealing with some extremely disturbing memories of things that should have been impossible.

Having now realized the truth, Ranma felt compelled to cover for Kasumi. "Lay off, would ya?" he muttered as he picked himself up off the floor. "Kasumi's fine. I just teased her a bit and managed to piss her off, that's all. She decked me and then ran off. Why else do you think I was bleeding from the nose?"

The two old men in the room blanched while Akane pointed an accusatory finger. "How dare you tease my sweet older sister! Don't you have any sympathy for her? You know she's going through a difficult time right now! I can't believe you could be such a jerk to her, Ranma!" The youngest Tendo looked about ready to deliver a knockout blow of her own as she exhausted her patience with him.

Had Nabiki not stepped in, Ranma was sure her younger sister would have beaten him so hard that he would've been knocked back into his past life. An unsettling prospect, to be sure.

"Chill out, Akane," Nabiki said. "Why don't you go blow off some steam while I get some more answers out of him?"

"Don't tell me to chill out," Akane replied indignantly. She leveled a withering glare onto her fiancé. "This isn't over, Ranma," she added before excusing herself in a huff.

"Ranma, my boy," Soun started, having gathered his wits once again. "Is this true? Have you actually managed to upset my dear sweet Kasumi to the point of violence?" He seemed more baffled than angry as he spoke.

"Don't lie to us, boy," Genma said, threatening his son with his tone.

"I swear, it's the truth," Ranma said after he wiped away some of the dried blood from his mouth. "And, before you ask, no; I don't know where she ran off to. I was kinda busy with being knocked out, if you hadn't noticed. Anyway, I'm sure she just had to clear her head. She'll be fine." He hoped.

"Ranma, it's five o'clock in the middle of a record breaking winter," Nabiki said. "The sun is setting and it's freezing outside. Don't you think she would've been back by now if she was fine?"

Ranma's eyes widened in surprise at learning how late it was. And then he furrowed his brow in concern. If something bad happened to Kasumi while she was out there, then it really would be his fault. "I'm going after her," he said, stepping between the three who were standing around him.

"Not alone, you aren't," Nabiki said, grabbing his shoulder to stop him. She looked to their fathers before continuing. "Take these two with you. You all move faster than either Akane or I and can cover more ground. Since you don't know where to look, you'll need the advantage."

Ranma glanced from her to the two older men and then back before nodding in affirmation. "Let's go," he said, taking the lead.

* * *

A warm tingle washed over Kasumi when she passed through the threshold of the cave. The first thing she saw upon entering was a soft glow of light reaching out from behind a bend in the tunnel-like far end. Wordlessly, she gravitated toward it. When she rounded the corner and suddenly found herself back home, she whirled around and was startled to find the cave path she had taken was gone. With her exit cutoff, she turned back around to take in the space before her.

The sky above her home was bright blue, the air was warm, and the grass was green. It was an ideal day. The sound of shoji being slid open alerted her to the fact that she wasn't alone. She rounded a corner and saw three small children jump off of the veranda, chasing each other in what appeared to be a game of tag. Though their mouths moved and their faces conveyed laughter, she heard no speech from them.

Deciding to follow the strangely muted children, Kasumi wound up on the other side of the yard, near the dojo, and saw two more people engaged in activity. Another child, this one noticeably older than the other three, was being instructed in the practice of a kata by a man who may or may not have been her father.

As she approached them from behind, the three kids ran circles around the two practicing martial artists before darting off to another corner of the property. The duo ignored the wild children as they moved in sync with each other. They even wore matching white gi and had their hair tied back in similarly loose ponytails. Kasumi, now certain that she was invisible to these people, walked right up to them and circled around to get a better look. She was shocked when she discovered the man was an older version of Ranma. Looking passed them, toward the house, she half expected a full grown Akane to come walking out and confirm her suspicions.

Instead, adult Ranma abruptly dropped his kata and went running off in the direction the three little ones had wandered off to. She entered into pursuit and found that one of the two boys had fallen on a rock beside the koi pond and cut himself. Ranma must have heard the kids' muted shouting because when Kasumi got there, the other two were jumping up and down in panic while the injured one was crying. She followed as he hefted the boy into his arms and carried him into the house.

Kasumi didn't need to hear them to know where they were heading. The first aid kit had been moved into the kitchen after Akane grew old enough to start experimenting with cooking and had remained there ever since. When they got there, she saw a woman with long brown hair hanging over one shoulder - much like her own - standing at the stove with her back to them. She had been stirring a pot of something but was alerted when Ranma walked in and set the whimpering child down on a nearby countertop. Kasumi braced herself as the woman turned around and bit her lip as she considered the possibility that she could be the one to have gotten Ranma in the end.

It wasn't her. Nabiki's face was unmistakable. Her heart sank and, at the same time, she was stricken with befuddlement. How was it possible? All the signs pointed toward Ranma choosing Akane. However, in the unlikely event that they didn't work, Kasumi was sure that she would've been the one to pick up the pieces. Nabiki, though? She was the most ambitious of their entire family. She had made clear, on several occasions, her intention to pursue higher education and shoot for a life in the big city. Instead, here she was kissing a child's forehead and successfully soothing him as Ranma cleaned his wounded knee. That was not something a person with an aversion to having children would do. Nothing made sense.

With her head still spinning, she watched them finish patching up the kid and set him down on his feet. Nabiki crouched to give him a hug before he left to presumably go back to playing outside. Once Ranma and Nabiki were alone, Kasumi paid close attention to their interaction. They exchanged words and then Ranma apparently said something funny because Nabiki giggled. If he was able to make her laugh so casually, it was proof enough that they were the real thing.

Kasumi, having seen enough, turned to leave. She had only taken a few steps before the floor began to vibrate beneath her feet. Soon, the whole house was shaking and she had to struggle to remain upright. Ranma and Nabiki passed her as they ran outside. She followed and saw them gathered with their children on the lawn. They all had their heads turned skyward as a massive shadow slowly moved to cover them, the lawn, the dojo, and perhaps the whole city. She hopped off of the veranda, joining them in the yard, before following their gaze upward.

Her jaw dropped open in shock when she saw three Star Destroyers descending into their atmosphere. The one in the center fired a green beam at a target to the south - to which she felt the impact shake her feet. A powerful gust of wind preceded the rising wall of fire that appeared over the horizon shortly after. She turned to run away despite knowing how impossible it would be to avoid being engulfed. As she ran, she looked over her shoulder and saw Ranma and her sister huddled together with the kids crowded between them protectively. They must've realized the futility and just resigned themselves to accept it.

Kasumi was in mid leap when the fire washed over her and clouded her vision with blinding light. Her skin, strangely, burned not from the heat but, instead, the cold. Her vision returned just as she came to find herself diving into the falling snow outside the cave's opening. She rolled with the momentum and sprung back onto her feet before skidding to a halt.

Her breath was ragged as she panted for air, mind racing. Could it be true? Was that the fate of her family? Her planet? Her people? "What do you want from me!?" Kasumi shouted at the top of her lungs, venting her frustration to the Force. "Why did you show me that!? Answer me, damn it!"

"Relax, child. That is but one of many possible futures," a voice said from behind her. Kasumi whirled around and saw the glowing specter of a familiar bearded man approach. His white hair and robe whipped in the breeze as he leveled wizened old eyes upon her. "Although, presently, it is the most likely."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi..." She uttered those words half in shock and the other half awe. "You're responsible for this?"

"Oh, no, my dear. This," he said, gesturing at their surroundings with a wave of his hand, "is the will of the Force at work. I am little more than a spectator. You, on the other hand, have been chosen to serve your galaxy."

"How?" she asked. "How am I supposed to take on something like that? And just how in the hell can the Empire be here, anyway? Some of my facts may still be mixed up but I know, without a doubt, that neither the Republic or the Empire ever visited other galaxies."

"Those are valid questions, indeed," Obi-Wan replied. "However, Anakin Skywalker has been dead for nearly five hundred years. A lot has happened that you don't know about. Rest assured that the answers will become available as you move toward fulfilling your destiny. I'm afraid that my time has run out, though. I've taken a great risk coming to see you and now I must go."

"Master, wait!" Kasumi yelled, reaching a hand out toward the man as he began to fade away.

"Listen, young one. You must remain strong if you're to resist the temptation. And, remember... the Force will be with you, always."

The echo of Obi-Wan's voice reached Kasumi's ears just as he completed vanishing. "What temptation?" she asked, under her breath.

She pondered that question, among others, as she made her way home. An answer, surprisingly, came sooner than she expected when she ran into her father near the edge of city limits and learned that they had been searching for her for the last few hours.

Apparently, they were under the impression that Ranma had instigated the situation between them which had caused her to run off. While she could certainly picture them assuming Ranma to be at fault, she found it hard to believe that he wouldn't deny their accusations. When her father told her he had instead admitted wrong doing and initiated the search, she was genuinely curious as to why he would do such a thing. She decided to let it play out since it would be easier than explaining what had really happened.

Though, in actuality, the outcome was of little concern.

Her father's mention of Ranma had had the effect of bringing her thoughts back to the parting words of her ghostly Jedi mentor. His reference to temptation most assuredly pertained to her earlier discovery of Ranma's connection with Padme. Essentially, it was implied that the Force had put Padme within her reach as a test of sorts. As Anakin, she had forsaken everything she once stood for in the name of love. Now, as the Force called upon her again, she had to prove that she could resist that weakness while fulfilling her destiny.

Recognizing that fact didn't make accepting it any easier, however. The Anakin in her still wanted Padme and, most likely, always would. If Ranma ever experienced a full awakening the way she had and then expressed a desire to be with her, she was almost certain that she'd be unable to refuse him. The only way she could hope to resist would be to make sure that that possibility was removed from the equation all together.

In pursuit of that end, she gave Ranma the cold shoulder upon arriving home despite his curious attempt to reach out to her. She also declined to elaborate on the full circumstances of her brief disappearance when prompted by the rest of the household. Using her foray into the wilderness as an excuse to retire to bed early, she locked herself inside of her room and began plotting her long term departure.

* * *

Ranma awoke the following morning expecting to have another shot at reconciling with Kasumi. His night had been filled with yet more dreams that expanded on the details of Padme and Anakin's romance. He sought to understand them by discussing those experiences with her. Instead, to his utter dismay, he was hit with the news that she had gone away.

When Nabiki informed everyone that she had discovered the letter that Kasumi had slid under her bedroom door, sometime during the night, there had been a collective outcry of disbelief. After hearing her read it aloud, though, a cloud of resignation had settled over them.

"To my family and friends; I must first apologize for causing you all to worry over me. I realize that the time following my accident hasn't been difficult for me alone. Each of you has personally felt the impact of my circumstance and dealt with it in a different way. Your concern for me warms my heart in a way words cannot adequately express. Please understand that I love all of you and that my decision to leave wasn't made lightly. It was only after much consideration that I realized I simply had no other choice.

"I must also make it clear that Ranma is not to blame for my departure. I can assure you that whatever he said to make you believe he had incited an argument between us is a lie. He was merely attempting to cover up the fact that I had had another violent episode in an effort to protect me. You see, I had confided in him my growing worry about scaring all of you with the increasingly uncontrollable development of my new abilities before unwittingly injuring him - the one person who was willing to suspend his disbelief and listen.

"All that aside, I can promise you that my absence will not be permanent. Though I'm not sure how long it will take, I intend to return after discovering how to tame myself enough to eliminate putting those I care about at risk.

"Finally, I have a few extra things to share with some of you. To my two younger sisters, I pass on letters from our mother written for you during her last days among us. She had entrusted me with the responsibility of holding onto them, one for each of us, until our individual eighteenth birthdays. Since I anticipate not being present for those upcoming events and I, admittedly, already cheated by opening mine five years ago, I think it's only fair that you each get to skip the remainder of your wait.

"To my dear, sweet, father; It was only recently that I truly understood the depths of your suffering. Prior to that, I had read mother's diary over and over again, and never quite grasped the meaning of having a soulmate. The realization of what that meant opened my eyes and now I can finally make sense of a lot of the things she mentioned in there. Though you and her were two individuals, you were also each two halves of a spirit composed of unconditional love. Having grown up witnessing you carry on without her, I feel I must apologize to you for secretly harboring resentment at your apparent lack of motivation. I wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy.

"Once again, I apologize to you all and hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me for doing what I felt was necessary. With love, I bid you all farewell."

Ranma had clamped down hard on his emotions in order to prevent getting misty eyed in the presence of his old man and the rest of the Tendo family, after that. Learning of Kasumi's personal truth on top of the latent Anakin/Padme situation that he had just been introduced to was almost too much to bear.

It would be months before he was able to come to terms with the fact that she wasn't coming back anytime soon.

* * *

Thank you all for your support. This story has more of my heart poured into it than any other before it. Although it's got it's melodramatic moments and is completely outside the realm of reality, sometimes to comical extremes, (this is a manga/sci-fi classic crossover, mind you) I feel I've imparted some semblance of real feeling into the text. I hope you readers were able to feel that and experience some kind of thought provoking emotion after reading this entry.

Until next time,

-shoes


	3. Ship

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm/Disney. Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is in no way intended to generate a profit.

 ** _Star Crossed: An Awakening_**

 _Chapter Three: Ship_

Kasumi had been on a backpacking excursion into Eastern Europe when it happened. The disturbance she had felt through the Force had alerted her that her time spent training in exile was coming to a close.

She had gotten the media's version of events from a rural town pub's television. They had hopped all over the asteroid scenario and were deeply entrenched in selling it by the time she had arrived. Whether the news networks actually believed what they were broadcasting had no impact on the truth that she had gleaned through the Force. The so called asteroid impact in the eastern Pacific had been, without a doubt, caused by a downed ship.

More immediately concerning, though, was the Tsunami that had battered her home country of Japan. Tokyo, to which Nerima was a special ward, was situated near the Pacific coast. Although somewhat shielded from the worst of the flooding by Chiba, the small peninsula separating Tokyo bay from the greater Pacific Ocean, a very real threat still remained.

Fukushima, an area just north of Tokyo, was home to a nuclear power plant which had been damaged by the flooding. As emergency services worked round the clock to solve the crisis, Kasumi felt she was obligated to return and provide aid in whatever way she could. While she had confidence that the situation would be contained, she could not turn a blind eye to the possibility of a catastrophe. Thus, she had decided to use the meager funds she had collected over the course of her journey to book transportation back to Japan.

To say that her concern was motivated by a selfish fear for her family would have been wrong. Since her departure, she had shed all forms of attachment in keeping with the way of the Jedi. Thoughts of them had, of course, crossed her mind. It was, after all, a natural human reaction. Being objectively aware of that fact, Kasumi had made a point of visiting Fukushima first - if only to reinforce what she had been studying over the passed five years. Though she had anticipated her visit to the nuclear plant being brief, it had turned out she really was needed. With the guidance of the Force, she had managed to prevent the diesel generators that had been keeping the coolant circulating to the reactor core from failing. She imagined the weak minded security personnel she had manipulated were still scratching their heads over what had happened.

She managed to keep her amusement over the speculation to a minimum as she rode in the backseat of a cab to her next destination. Right now, she had to worry about keeping her head on straight and prepare for the face to face she was about to have with the people she had alienated by her abandonment.

When she finally arrived outside of the Tendo compound, she was hit with an unexpected wave of apprehension. The familiar environment brought back more emotional conflict than she could have possibly prepared for. As she stood there, arms hanging uselessly at her sides, she considered bailing on this endeavor. However, before she could gather her wits, the person she most dreaded seeing unexpectedly drew open the gate and confronted her. It was as if the Force had alerted him to her proximity.

"Kasumi..." Ranma breathed, as he stood before her, looking, for all the world, like a man who had come to face a ghost that he was sure had been banished forever. "Is it really you?"

Guilt, panic, and a myriad of other emotions came crashing back onto her as she felt a rising urge to flee well up inside of her. Why did the Force lead her back here only to be bombarded with such feelings?

* * *

When Ranma had first seen her, he hadn't been sure if his eyes had been functioning correctly. This woman, who had been gone for half of a decade, had no doubt experienced things that would change a person and was far different than what he could've possibly imagined. Gone was her submissive visage, pale skin, and delicate frame. In their place was a toned, tanned, and dangerous looking person. Her long hair had been tied back into a braided bun behind her head - a practical hairstyle for someone who thought loose hair was a liability in close quartered combat. Additionally, the neutral, tan colored, cloth she wore, which was reminiscent of a Shaolin trainee's loose fitting pantsuit was indicative of her desire to retain free range of motion. What really caught his attention, though, was the sword strapped to her back.

He thought back to Padme's first impression of Anakin when he had returned from ten years of training with Obi-Wan. Kasumi, like him, had changed so much and yet, as he looked into her eyes, he felt that her caring for him had remained unaltered. It was disconcerting, to say the least. So much had changed during her absence and, although he had had time to process all of Padme's memories, life had left him in a place where considering those parallels made him extremely uncomfortable.

Kasumi must have sensed his discomfort, because she suddenly looked ready to flee. Feeling a flash of remorse for projecting those feelings, he decided to preemptively counter her by doing the first thing that came to his mind. "Kasumi, wait," he said, before stepping forward and pulling her into a hug. Regardless of certain feelings clouding his emotional state, he was genuinely glad to see her.

* * *

After Ranma's surprising embrace, Kasumi had gotten a hold of herself and regained a large portion of her resolve. Simply knowing that he didn't harbor any anger or resentment toward her had been enough. However, with her mostly recovered wits, she had been able to sense something else was amiss. When she had accepted Ranma's invitation and followed him inside the house, she had learned what it was.

Nabiki and Ranma had fulfilled the Tendo-Saotome pact. Kasumi knew it as soon as she saw them look at each other and before any words had been spoken. While not quite a surprise, it did draw up some important questions. Mainly; how long had they been together and what had happened to Akane? There was something else as well. The fact that their relationship had evolved to this point meant the future was tracking in line with her vision from the cave. While that fact was slightly worrying, it wasn't dire. She saw no children running around, nor did her sister appear to be pregnant. There was still plenty of time left.

As she stood before the room full of familiar faces, each with varying degrees of emotion playing across their features, she dropped her pack in a symbolic gesture to let them know she would be staying awhile.

Nabiki was the first among them to recover from the fit of petrified staring her arrival had caused. When she came marching up with a hardened expression and waves of tightly restrained anger - directed at her - Kasumi prepared herself for anything. She took Nabiki's slap across the face without attempting to defend herself despite having seen it coming.

Kasumi raised a hand in Ranma's direction to forestall his protest.

"That was for ruining my life and making me worry about you all of these years," Nabiki said, her voice shaking slightly. She abruptly softened before pulling Kasumi into a fierce hug. "This is to thank you," she added. "Without you, I never would've known how happy he could make me."

Kasumi glanced over to the 'he' in question as her younger sister continued to hold her. The relief on Ranma's face was plainly evident. She lifted her arms and returned the hug while repressing the sting her words had caused. "I missed you too, little sister," she replied.

One by one, Kasumi reconciled with the people she had left behind. Ranma's mother, Nodoka, had, unsurprisingly, taken up residence there and was present to share in the reunion. However, with all but her youngest sister around, she couldn't help but dwell on the girl's whereabouts. When she inquired about the reason behind Akane's absence, she was surprised and relieved at the same time.

"Oh, she's off following her dream right now," Nabiki had said.

Apparently, right after her high school graduation, she had moved to California in pursuit of breaking into the Hollywood acting business. According to those present, she was attending an acting school while using her martial arts skills to work as a stunt woman and earn a living.

While that bit of information had sparked pride for her sister's achievements, Kasumi had a greater concern regarding Akane's well being. "Is she happy?" she had asked, needing desperately to know.

Ranma had been the one to step in and own up to the fact that he had been responsible for ruining things with her. The time following Kasumi's departure had been rough on everyone, especially her. Instead of being available to Akane when she had gotten emotional, he had withdrawn to focus on dealing with his own problems. She hadn't taken being shut out very well and the two had grown apart. By the time graduation had come, she had already written him off and committed herself to starting over far away from everyone. However, after her first year of being on her own, she had reached out to them and expressed her apologies before letting them know she was more at peace than she had ever been now that she was on a path of her own choosing.

Hearing that, Kasumi knew her youngest sister had likely cited her own departure as reason to follow suit. Still, she was relieved to know that Akane had finally found happiness. Oddly enough, that also answered her unasked question as to how Nabiki and Ranma had wound up together.

With her middle sister being the only one left and the fact that she had always been the most responsible one, even going so far as hustling money to make sure their household had an income, it was no wonder she had decided against abandoning the obligation. Their father would have lost the dojo long ago if not for her efforts. Nabiki had always been a smart and motivated person. If anyone deserved to inherit the family legacy it was her. Further inquiry just reinforced that conclusion.

Under Nabiki's ownership, the Tendo dojo had blossomed into a successful business. Kasumi was quite amused by the analogy Ranma had used when describing her sister's reforms. In his words, she had 'cracked the whip' and gotten the two old men into shape. Genma and her father were now both working as instructors to earn their keep. Nabiki, herself, had even gotten involved with the physical aspect and was now an advanced student of the school. Ranma's praise of her ability had been genuine as he described her rapid ascent into the upper echelon of skill. Nabiki was truly a person who could do anything she set her mind upon.

As everyone apprised Kasumi of all the milestones she had missed in their lives, a cloud of regret settled over her. She had missed so much. All because she hadn't been strong enough to resist the temptation Obi-Wan had warned her about. Now, though, as she paid closer attention to the interaction between Ranma and her sister, it occurred to her that their bond was a strong one. That observation served to remind her that she and Ranma were, in fact, not the same people they had once been - a lifetime ago. She began to relax as she felt her objectivity return.

Perhaps, in this life, those two were meant to be together. Obi-Wan had implied that the spirit of Padme was put within her reach as a temptation and nothing more. As she reevaluated her decision to leave, thinking of all that had come to pass as a result, she came to the conclusion that it had all worked out for the best. A pleasant feeling warmed her soul as she dwelled on that thought. Accepting those ideas as fact meant she could once again be close to those she cared about without feeling threatened. The Force had served her well once again.

"So, Kasumi-chan," Nodoka started, "What have you been up to all of this time? You certainly seem... how do I say it... well equipped?"

"I think what my mom is trying to say is that you look buff," Ranma supplied. "For a girl, I mean. Not like a man at all. You do not have a manly build. Oh, crap..." he added. The expression he wore was quite comical as he realized the hole he had dug himself had gotten deeper much faster than he expected.

"That's my boy," Genma chortled, patting him on the back. "The old Soatome foot-in-mouth is strong with him."

"How dare you laugh at my daughter's expense, Soatome," Soun said, glaring at his friend. "She's just gotten healthier. That's all."

"Well, it was funny," Genma replied with a shrug. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Lay off, would you?" Nabiki interjected. "Pay no mind to them, Sis," she added. "As you can see, I'm raising three adult children here, so you'll have to forgive them."

Kasumi waved them off with a casual smile. "It's fine," she replied. "I thought it was funny too."

"Speaking of children," Nodoka chimed in, "When are you two going to start giving me the grand babies I deserve?"

"Oh, jeez, not this again..." Ranma said, palming his face.

"As I've told you all before, kids are a huge financial responsibility that we just aren't ready for at the moment. Until we pay off our debts and get the dojo generating a higher revenue, it's not gonna happen. Okay?" Nabiki said calmly, though it was apparent her patience was being tried. Apparently, this was a recurring topic.

"Well, call me old fashioned, but it just doesn't seem normal to wait so long after being married to start making babies," Nodoka said. "Ranma, is she not pleasing you in the bedroom? You'd tell us if she wasn't, right?"

"No! Are you crazy? My love life is not open for public discussion! Just lay off would you?"

"Oh my..." Kasumi said, feeling Ranma's embarrassment through the Force.

Nabiki pinched the bridge of her nose in a telling sign of migraine as she shook her head. "Okay, make that four adult children," she said, amending her earlier commentary.

"Wait, did you just now add my mom to that list?" Ranma asked. "That would mean I was already... Hey! That's not funny!"

"It really is, actually," Nabiki replied, managing a smirk.

Kasumi just couldn't resist it any longer. She burst into an open mouthed belly laugh which captured everyone's attention. She had missed them all dearly. Moments like this, which she had once taken for granted, we're so very special to her now. When she finally noticed that her outburst had caused them all to stare, she wiped a stray tear that had leaked out while laughing and collected herself. She realized that none of them had ever witnessed her laugh out loud like that. "I'm sorry," she said, still fighting the urge to express her joyous laughter. "It's just... you guys. I love you. I really missed you," she added as happy tears threatened to spill out from her misty eyes.

Nabiki was the first one to wrap an arm around her. Then Ranma, his mother, her father, and, finally, Genma joined her in a group hug.

After a few minutes, Genma awkwardly spoke up. "So, uh... how long are these things usually supposed to last? I'm getting hungry." Everyone but him simultaneously burst into laughter in response. Not knowing what else to do, he joined in but still added, "Seriously, is anyone up for some take out?"

* * *

The family sat around the dinner table, which was still topped with mostly empty containers of Chinese food, while listening to Kasumi's tale of her great adventure. With Ranma there to corroborate her story, getting everyone to finally accept her truth had been much easier.

When he had admitted to having been awakened, Kasumi had been shocked only initially. More than enough time had passed for such a thing. The really tricky part was explaining to Nabiki and the others that she and Ranma had once been an item. Nabiki had taken it quite well, despite the parents having mucked things up a bit with their suggestively inappropriate commentary. Thankfully, though, everyone had made it through in one piece. That had allowed her to move on toward more pressing matters.

"So, this asteroid thing... how are you so sure it's actually a space ship?" Genma asked between mouthfuls of noodles. He was the only one still eating.

"Like I said before, I've felt a disturbance in the Force," Kasumi replied.

"And you think this ship is your ticket to getting off of the planet?" her father asked, reiterating what she had said earlier. "Kasumi, my dear, why would you even want to leave earth? If everything you said is true, then everyone in your old life is long dead. Why go seeking an adventure among the stars? You've only just gotten home. Can't you stay?"

"Yeah, he's got a point," Ranma said. "While it's interesting to think about what could be out there, I don't really see why you're so eager to go."

"Unless there's something she's still not telling us," Nabiki supplied.

Everyone's eyes settled on Kasumi after that comment. With a sigh, she relented. "There is one thing," she started. "Through the Force, I've been allowed to see the future of our planet. Right now, it's not looking very good. If I don't do something to change it, then... well... you really don't wanna know what happens. Bottom line is, I can't find out what the galactic situation is without venturing into space. To do that, I need to commandeer that ship at the bottom of the Pacific."

"You make it sound like a simple matter of going there and taking it, Sis," Nabiki said. "Have you taken the time to consider what that would actually entail? That's even assuming the ship is still in one piece and flyable."

"She's got a good point there, Kasumi," Ranma said, agreeing with his wife.

"It's intact. I've seen it," Kasumi replied, a bit cryptically.

Nabiki, still appearing to have some difficulty swallowing the oddities of the Force which Kasumi was displaying, let out a breath before continuing. "Okay, if you say so. That's not the only thing in need of consideration, though. You do realize that both the United Nations and the USA have naval ships out there already, right? For all we know, the Americans could be planning to haul that thing back to Area 51 or wherever else. Even if they haven't done that yet, how would you get out there before they do? And, then, how do you expect to go unnoticed by a fleet of military boats while going after a space ship that, let's be honest, probably has more security than Guantanamo bay?"

Kasumi tilted her head in thought as she considered her sister's words. Abruptly, she was struck with inspiration. The Force had guided her back home for a reason. Sitting around her was a group of some of the most formidable martial artists the world had to offer. Perhaps she wasn't meant to do it alone.

"Tell me, Nabiki, how far along is your training with Ranma? Would you two mind giving me a demonstration?" she asked.

"You want us to spar for you?" Ranma asked, catching her drift.

"Changing the subject isn't an effective rebuttal, just so you know," Nabiki replied. "You've seriously got to reconsider what you're thinking about doing."

"I'm in the middle of considering something right now, Nabiki," Kasumi assured her. "Would you just mind humoring me for a bit?"

"Humor me, she says," Nabiki muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Despite her sister's reservations, she and Ranma did, in fact, end up giving Kasumi the show that she desired. And what a show it was. To say that Kasumi had been impressed was an understatement. Her entire world view had been reshaped by the end of it.

Displays of martial arts acrobatics were nothing new to her. Even the rare display of chi being visibly wielded outside of a users body had not been unfamiliar. What had toppled her perspective was the unexpected assault on her senses. As their sparring had heated up, she had noticed something in each of them that had not been there before: the Force presence of individuals with potential to wield it.

She had then begun probing them as their fight escalated even further. To her shock, she learned something about the Force that, for once, had not come from the memories of Anakin Skywalker. Chi was fueled by the Force.

What every chi adept martial artist did, without realizing it, was metabolize and store the modified Force within their bodies for later use. Chi manipulation was just another Force ability it seemed. Though it appeared to have certain things in common with Jedi who could directly manipulate the living Force, such as augmented strength and speed, she sensed a distinct lack of psychic presence from them. Did that mean it was purely a physical skill?

When she had reached out with her mind and telekinetically halted them, in mid air, she had gotten her answer. Chi users had no defense against the more complex abilities of a Jedi or Sith. It was slightly disappointing, but still quite the revelation.

"That's enough," Kasumi said, as she gently floated them back down to the dojo floor. "You've shown me everything I needed to see." In response to their perplexed expressions, she elaborated. "There is a great potential for the Force in both of you. Will you join me? With your help, my mission to save the galaxy stands a much better chance of success."

* * *

"This is probably one of the dumbest ideas I've ever had the pleasure of taking part in," Nabiki said to Ranma as they leaned against the railing on the deck of the cruise ship they had snuck onto.

The first part of their plan, which required getting to the crash site without arousing suspicion, involved this cruise ship. Several days earlier, they had illegally boarded the Hawaiian bound cruise ship at a port in Tokyo bay. It had taken them nearly a week to agree upon the best plan and then another week to wait for the state of emergency to be lifted so normal boat travel could resume.

As they stared at the calm ocean stretching out before them, Ranma shrugged. "I wouldn't be too worried if I were you," he said. "When she was Anakin, she always managed to pull the rabbit out of the hat. I'm willing to bet she's got a trick or two up her sleeve this time."

"Is that you trying to reassure me?" Nabiki asked, wearing an amused expression.

"Maybe," he replied, with a grin.

"It's cute," Nabiki said. "Not working, though."

"Hey, guys," Kasumi said, approaching them from behind. "It's all set. The ship's plotted a new course. Next stop; the hot zone."

"Seriously? Just like that?" Nabiki, who had claimed her position as the official skeptic, asked. "Something tells me I should be worried at how quickly you claimed to have accomplished that."

"How'd you do it?" Ranma asked, genuinely intrigued. "The old Jedi mind trick on the helmsman? Or did you just sneak in and rig the controls yourself? Wait, can you even pilot a cruise ship?"

"If, by Jedi mind trick, you mean flirting with a little cleavage showing then, yes, I used a Jedi mind trick. And the helmsman was a she, by the way," Kasumi replied with a wink.

Both Ranma and Nabiki arched their eyebrows in disbelief as they scrutinized her.

"I call bullshit," Nabiki said.

"Kasumi, how could you? You flirted with another woman?" Ranma asked, with a mocking impression of a jealous girlfriend that made both women laugh. "For real, though. I say mind trick."

"A master mustn't give away her secrets too early," Kasumi replied. "Besides, you two are still younglings as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I'll tell you about it when you're older."

"I don't think so," Nabiki said. "Someone claiming the title of 'Master' should've been able to come up with a better plan. Or at least a backup plan. Seriously, guys... what do we do if this doesn't work?"

"It _will_ work, little sister," Kasumi insisted. "Trust me. The Force hasn't steered us wrong yet. When we get close enough, you two will disguise yourselves and cause a ship-wide commotion, then I'll disable the engines and the navy will be forced to send someone to help make repairs if they want this ship to leave the area. It'll also force them to pause their operations since they won't risk civilians seeing them haul a space ship out of the water. We'll have the perfect window of opportunity to steal one of their submersibles and get down there."

"I know the plan already, thank you," Nabiki replied with a huff. "I just don't see how you can have so much faith in this Force thing you keep telling us about. There's so many points at which this operation of ours could fall apart."

"Nabs, look at me," Ranma said, taking her hand. "I believe in her. I also have a lifetime of memories witnessing the Jedi do the impossible, remember? This little mission? It's nothing."

"I can promise you this, Nabiki," Kasumi started. "When we succeed, your opinion of the Force will change."

And change it did. The ease with which she witnessed Kasumi work was almost scary and equally enticing. The mind powers she had used to manipulate a trio of soldiers into stripping and handing over their uniforms was only the beginning. Disguised as navy seamen, the three of them had stolen their skiff in the middle of the night and used it to travel to the aircraft carrier that had a row of small submersibles docked at its side. Kasumi had used her influence to get them past security and they were able to suit up in the deep water gear before hijacking one of the underwater transports.

When they arrived at the edge of a plateau on the sea floor, Nabiki let go of her doubt. There was indeed an intact ship there. The navy had attached an air lock to the exterior of the ship's boxy hull with a pressurized tunnel running between it and an underwater lab.

Kasumi piloted the submersible below the lab module and surfaced into the moon pool to dock. Everything had seemed to be going perfectly smooth until they opened the hatch. One of Kasumi's victims must have come to their senses and alerted the lab crew to their unauthorized arrival because they were greeted by six gun barrels aimed at them upon climbing out.

"We've got them in custody," one of the soldiers said into the radio strapped to his vest.

"Copy that," a voice replied from the other end. "Sit tight. Evac's on its way."

Ranma and Nabiki both slowly and carefully turned their glance toward Kasumi, who was standing between them, while raising their hands into a gesture of surrender. Kasumi didn't move a muscle.

"Hands up, lady," the lead soldier said, motioning to her with his rifle muzzle.

"Or what? You'll shoot?" Kasumi replied, challengingly. "We're in a glass box surrounded by ocean. One shot and we're all dead."

The soldier made a show of cocking his rifle before replying. "Rubber bullets."

Almost as soon as the man had finished his statement, Kasumi thrust her hands forward and force-pushed all six of the soldiers into the far wall. Only two were instantly knocked out, but the other four were severely stunned - giving Kasumi the time she needed to close the gap and finish them off manually.

Ranma whistled his appreciation of her handiwork while clapping lightly. "Good show," he said.

"Agreed," Nabiki said, lowering her hands. "If this turns out to be our only hiccup, then I'll be a happy woman."

"Oh, come on, this is the home stretch. What else could go wrong?" Kasumi asked.

"Ha. Considering your foresight didn't warn you about this, my guess is anything," Nabiki replied with a note of levity. "And, let's not forget, they did radio for backup. Who knows how much time we have left."

Ranma sniggered. "Point for Nabs."

"Oh, ye of little faith," Kasumi said as she walked to the mouth of the tunnel.

Nabiki and Ranma followed their appointed leader down into the mouth of the tunnel which was just a short distance from the ship. Once inside the airlock, Kasumi touched the scarred hull with her gloved hands and inspected the ship's hatch. It was marked up from the soldiers' attempts to cut into it. She closed her eyes, appearing to focus intently for a brief moment, before a metallic clank preceded the opening of the hatch and the sudden rush of pungent odor from the ship's atmosphere assaulted their noses.

"Masks on!" Kasumi said, urgently, before pulling hers down to cover her face.

Nabiki followed suit while observing Ranma do the same. "What is it?" she asked her sister, just as urgently. "What was that smell?

"Poisonous gas," Kasumi replied. "And death," she added before clicking on her flashlight and walking inside.

"Poison? From what?" Nabiki asked, suddenly glad that Kasumi had insisted they wear the full undersea gear. She clicked on her own flashlight and followed Ranma, who had done the same before trailing her sister.

"The outside of the ship had blaster burns marking the hull," Kasumi said as she led them down a corridor and around a corner. "This thing probably took a hit somewhere sensitive and started venting fumes into the cabin. Could've been from an exhaust leak or even vaporized coolant. Ah, here we go," she said, stopping at sealed door. "The cockpit."

Nabiki nearly flinched when Kasumi palmed a switch on the bulkhead and caused the door to slide open with a hydraulic hiss. All three of them shined their lights inside and saw two silhouettes slumped over in their chairs.

"Yep," Kasumi said, following a breathy sigh. "These poor souls would've asphyxiated within minutes if they were breathing this stuff."

"Oh, man, what a terrible way to go..." Ranma commented.

Nabiki felt a pang of sympathy for the victims as she imagined being in their position. Then, a wave of dread settled upon her as she reflected on what she had gotten herself into. The people piloting this thing had survived a space battle only to be killed by their own failing ship. It seemed the new life she had walked into was brimming with opportunities to be killed. The dread then morphed into a solid fear and began crawling up her spine - reaching for her throat.

"Hey," Kasumi said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't let it get to you. You'll be safe as long as we stick together. Once I begin to teach you the ways of the Jedi, you'll be able to find comfort in the Force. Just as I have."

Nabiki nodded her head, thankful for her sister's words. Ranma reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as well.

She watched them move the bodies after they insisted she take a moment to collect herself. After that, it hadn't taken Kasumi long to restore power. Her fear, coincidentally, ebbed much quicker once the darkness was banished.

"Okay, fire it up!" Kasumi shouted from someplace in the rear of the ship.

As Nabiki watched her husband confidently manipulate the control console, she had to remind herself that he was just like Kasumi. He, like her, was experience things from a perspective that must have made all of this feel second nature.

"Alright, we're in business!" Ranma shouted back. "Hang on! I've got a warning! The valve actuator for coolant recirculation is coming back negative! Check the fuse at... junction thirty-four!"

She was marveled while observing him tackle whatever was going on with the ship. He went at it with same veracity usually reserved for an intense sparring session or a very complex kata.

"I see it!" Kasumi replied. "Okay, try it now!" she added after a moment.

Nabiki held her breath as Ranma's fingers flew across the console, tapping keys and flipping switches. Then, abruptly, his furrowed brow faded away. He laughed near hysterically as he stared at the readings on his display.

"Bingo!" he said, excitedly. "Propulsion systems are in the green!"

It couldn't have come at a better time. A loud banging echoed throughout the small ship as the navy's reinforcements hammered away at the sealed hatch. Kasumi's footfalls briefly joined the reverberating as she ran across the grated floor to rejoin them. When she popped her head back into the cockpit, she gave Ranma a nod.

Ranma replied by dropping an index finger onto a glowing green key. "Venting thrusters," he said. "That should be warning enough for those guys to get clear of the airlock before we launch."

Sure enough, the banging ceased. The floor beneath Nabiki's feet began to vibrate shortly before the ship lurched upwards. She reached for a nearby bulkhead to steady herself - barely managing to stay on her feet. The sensation of being pulled down was brief as the gravity re-stabilized a moment later.

"We're ascending," Ranma said. "Surface penetration in one minute."

An annoying buzzer began chiming immediately thereafter and Nabiki noted a correlation between it and the flashing yellow light on Ranma's display. "What's going on?" she asked.

"We've got several underwater torpedoes inbound," Ranma replied. "I guess these guys aren't willing to settle. If they can't have this ship, then they'd rather nobody else does either."

"Shields?" Kasumi asked.

"Negative. The pressure from all this water is preventing me from bringing the deflector online."

Nabiki felt the fear crashing back in full force. Could this really be it?

"Is the nav-computer functioning?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"Pick some coordinates and make the jump to hyperspace, then," Kasumi said, gripping the back of Ranma's chair.

"In the middle of an ocean? Is that even possible?" Ranma asked, incredulous.

"Anything's possible, just punch it!" Kasumi ordered. "Now!" she insisted.

Nabiki's head spun as she watched everything in sight of the viewport morph into a blur before transforming into an incoherent swirl.

* * *

Dear Readers,

Thank you for supporting SCAA (Star Crossed: An Awakening). I hope you're having as much fun reading it as I am writing it. I will now address a few of your questions.

Is Akane being bashed and will she be written out of the story?

The answer to that is a huge 'NO.' I, personally, have a soft spot for Akane and thus have made plans for her to fulfill a very important roll in the future of this story. As for other secondary characters like Shampoo, Ryoga, and Ukyo... I cannot guarantee that they will be included in more than a capacity of reference. However, if I can reasonably work them into the plot, then I will.

Are there going to be additional reincarnations of famous Star Wars heroes?

I have no plans to start spamming this story with reincarnations. I would also like to make it clear that Kasumi and Ranma are still themselves despite remembering their previous lives. They've merely acknowledged once being Anakin and Padme. Although, I will say that Kasumi is a lot closer to Anakin due to following the path of the Jedi as he once did.

Is this story plotted out?

Yes, it is indeed plotted out. As a matter of fact, chapters 4 and 5 are already completely outlined as of this posting.

Once again, I'd like to thank you for honoring me by favoriting, following, and reviewing.

May the Geek be with you!

-shoes


	4. Benevolence

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm/Disney. Ranma is the property of Rumiko Takahashi. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is in no way intended to generate a profit.

 ** _Star Crossed: An Awakening_**

 _Chapter Four: Benevolence_

The steady hum of the hyperdrive cut off just before the ship re-entered normal space. Ranma and his two companions watched, with baited breath, as the streaking blur of stars shrunk back into scattered points of light.

In his haste to carry out Kasumi's urgent order, he had selected the coordinates displayed at the top of the navi log - effectively backtracking the ship to its previous jump point. They had engaged in a serious debate, while in transit, about whether or not to prematurely end the jump but, ultimately, had decided to just go with it due, in large part, to his wife's convincing. Nabiki had, against her obvious fears, suggested that having knowledge of their ship's history could come in handy later on. Her reputation as a hustler had been built on the foundation of gathering as much information as possible and neither he or Kasumi could deny her success. Thus, they had all agreed that visiting its last location, despite the potential for danger, was in their best interest.

Ranma reckoned she had been right as he took in the sight before him.

Chunks of debris, mostly large and some small, littered the star field surrounding the husk of damaged capital ship before them. As Padme, he had been unaccustomed to taking part in large scale space battles and was even further removed from poring through their remains. That had been more up Anakin's alley. However, as he observed the wreckage, it became blatantly obvious that the conflict in question had been overwhelmingly one-sided.

"This is all from the same ship, isn't it?" Ranma proffered.

Kasumi's breath hitched in her throat as she replied. "Yes, it is. There's no sign of wreckage from enemy ships. If this had been a fair battle, there would be more than just what we see. They were massacred."

"That's awful..." Nabiki said. "Do you think anyone could've survived this?"

"Well, the fact that there are so many intact fragments grouped this close together suggests it was brought down by smaller explosions and decompression - rather than a big boom - so it's possible. It's strange, actually... the crest on the side of the hull is from-"

"The Galactic Republic," Ranma said, finishing Kasumi's statement of revelation. He lifted a hand to point at some alien writing on the largest chunk of debris. "The Benevolence. I wonder what it's mission was."

"Wait, you can read that gibberish?" Nabiki asked.

"It's Aurebesh," Kasumi said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you trust me?"

"Yeah, of course. You're my big sis-" Nabiki doubled over in response to the sudden inrush of information. Her eyes clamped shut as a reflex when her vision began to swim. It was over almost as suddenly as it started, though. "Warn me... next time you do that," Nabiki said, between breaths.

"Ah, but that wouldn't be quite as much fun," Kasumi teased.

Ranma looked on with amusement as Nabiki recovered her wits. "That's a nifty way to learn a new language," he said.

"It was a bit more than that, actually," Nabiki replied, straightening herself out.

"I had to make sure she knew her way around a starship. Having an extra set of capable hands in an emergency could mean the difference between life and death while traveling through space," Kasumi supplied.

"Makes sense," Ranma replied. A faint beeping drew his attention back to the console before he could comment further. He pressed the flashing red button and a flat holo-projected screen popped up in front of the forward view port. "Looks like we'll get to test Nabs sooner than we thought. Sensors just picked up two contacts closing in on our position. We're being targeted," he added with urgency.

Kasumi squeezed around her sister and slid into the pilot's chair before grabbing the controls. "Buckle up."

The next several minutes passed in a flurry of blaster fire, skin-stretching evasive maneuvers, and glancing explosions. Everyone pulled their weight. Nabiki angled the deflector and did her best to balance the distribution of power between the inertial dampener, thrusters, and defenses so Kasumi could focus on piloting. Ranma left the co-piloting duties to his wife so he could man the blaster array and return fire.

Ranma nearly fell out of his seat when they took a direct hit. "Come on, hotshot, you're supposed to be the best pilot in the galaxy! Get us out of this!"

"I'm trying!" Kasumi shouted back. "This damn shuttle's got a fat ass on her, though! She was meant for crew transport; not a dogfight!"

"Well, you'd better start getting creative because now we're flying naked! That last blow took out the deflector!" Nabiki said.

"I see that!" Kasumi replied. "Okay, hold on to your asses! I'm taking us in! Nabiki, route everything to the engines!"

The shuttle lurched forward as Kasumi forced it into a nosedive. Ranma grinned in admiration as she took them straight into the hollowed out husk of Benevolence. Giant girders, columns, and shorn off pieces of hull floating in their path were nothing against Kasumi's tight focus. Their lead pursuer grazed a chunk of debris within seconds of following them inside and crashed into a bulkhead immediately after.

For a moment, Ranma thought he had been transported back in time as he watched Kasumi work diligently to save their lives. How many times had Anakin's resolve gotten them out of the worst situations? Kasumi laughed triumphantly when the second one went down and Ranma felt his heart flutter for just a second. As soon as he realized it, he clamped down on that feeling and buried it. That line of thought couldn't lead anywhere good.

Nabiki cheered her sister on while the woman in question pulled up on the stick and exited through a hole in the superstructure. "That was amazing, Kasumi!"

"Careful. She used to have a bad habit of an easily swollen ego," Ranma said, grinning.

"Sounds like someone else I know," Nabiki said, smirking back at him.

Ranma did his best to appear affronted, even though he knew he was guilty of the same thing. "Me? Never."

"Uh... guys?" Kasumi started. "I think it's a bit early for a celebration. Look," she said, indicating the star field ahead of them.

Ranma felt his jaw fall open as a cluster of enemy ships dropped out of hyperspace. There was no way they could out maneuver all of them. "Nabs," he said, prompting the woman into action.

"Already on it," she replied as she scrolled through the jump log Ranma had used earlier. "Just need a minute.

"Work fast," Kasumi said as she manipulated the controls and threw them into a barrel roll. The shuttle's metal skeleton groaned under the strain of being forced to move in such a frantic way.

Ranma braced himself against the g-forces overpowering the inertial dampeners and did his best to spray return fire at the small swarm. He chanced a glance back in Nabiki's direction to check her progress in between targeting.

"Nabiki... we're ready when you are," Kasumi said through gritted teeth.

"Almost... Got it!" she shouted, triumphantly, before pulling the lever.

A collective breath of relief occurred once they entered hyperspace. Good fortune had smiled upon them once again. Such good fortune wasn't meant to last, though.

In response to their inquiry, Nabiki had shared with them just why it had taken her so long to select a destination. She had reasoned that a set of frequently visited coordinates was likely their safest option. After all, one didn't spend a lot of time somewhere if it was dangerous. They had agreed that her logic was sound. Kasumi had even been quite optimistic after looking at the name of the system at the end of their jump. Beta-Ryloth. Ranma remembered the Twi'Lek people from his past life had hailed from the Ryloth system. Surely Beta-Ryloth was named in honor of that. He and Kasumi had agreed that it would be good to make contact with a familiar race.

When they exited hyperspace, just outside of the system, Ranma hadn't known what to expect. He had considered a number of different scenarios, though. However, being accosted by the local authorities had not been one of them.

The capital ship that had intercepted them with its tractor beam and pulled them into one of its landing bays, had not even bothered to hail them. Despite Kasumi having reassured he and Nabiki that their captors were likely just being cautious, Ranma hadn't felt good about it.

"Just remain calm and let me do the talking," Kasumi had warned when their landing ramp had been lowered via their overridden controls.

Ranma thought it was overkill to have such a large platoon of armed guards waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp. Even more baffling was the fact that they were all wearing Mandalorian armor. Why would a Mando battlecruiser be patrolling Twi'Lek space?

The answer they got, despite being bad for them, had inaugurated them to the state of the galaxy.

Firstly, the Mandalorian Guard was the reigning military force charged with protecting the New Galactic Republic's borders from insurgents representing the Native Species Coalition. No one was permitted entry to or exit from a member system without the proper, and current, pass codes being transmitted to patrolling authorities.

The codes loaded in their shuttle's computer, as they later learned, were outdated due to it being off the grid for over six standard months. Since Kasumi had come home within a week of it crashing on Earth, that meant it had to have been adrift for quite some time.

Ranma might have had trouble deciphering such a mouthful in the past but, due to his experience as Padme, he had been able to easily sum up their situation. They were in deep poodoo. With no valid identification, and a ship with outdated credentials, they had been treated like criminals.

Secondly, since the NGR was currently under martial law, Ranma and his two companions had been detained and sentenced without due process. The Padme in him was outraged, to say the least. The Ranma in him, which was already anti authority, wanted nothing more than to lash out and take down as many as he could despite knowing it would be a futile effort.

Kasumi and Nabiki had, thankfully, talked him down before it had come to that. Still, he didn't like the idea of their fate being in the hands of militants.

"Be quiet, here they come," Kasumi hushed from her cell.

Ranma checked himself as he heard the hydraulic door of their detention block slide open. He heard shuffling and grunting accompanying the footsteps walking over the grated flooring.

"Stop resisting, treasonous scum," the filtered voice of a helmeted soldier said.

Moments later, two Mando guards escorting a Twi'Lek man with blue pigmentation arrived at the cell directly opposite that of Ranma's. They dropped the force field and shoved him inside before locking it down and retreating to wherever they had come from.

"What are you staring at?" the Twi'Lek grunted as he plopped himself down on the bench.

Ranma averted his scrutiny before clearing his throat and greeting the newcomer. "Uh, hi. So what are you in for?"

"Same thing as you, I'd imagine," the man replied. "Just about anyone returning from long voyages are being detained. It's ridiculous. They'll be hearing from my lawyer as soon as I get home."

"How long has this been going on?" Kasumi asked from her out of sight position.

"What? You've been living under a rock or something?" the Twi'Lek asked. "It's all over the holonet."

"Something like that," Kasumi replied.

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" the Twi'Lek replied. "Look, I'm not interested in being associated with real criminals, okay? Whatever you got going on is none of my concern."

"We're not criminals!" Nabiki replied, indignantly. "We just had some bad luck, same as you."

"Yeah, I bet that's what they all say," the Twi'Lek man replied.

"Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot," Ranma said. "My name is Ranma. The one next door to you is Kasumi and the one next to me is Nabiki. Maybe we can help each other?"

The Twi'Lek snorted. "Somehow I doubt that."

"Let him be, Ranma," Kasumi said. "Whatever happens next is out of our hands. Just trust that the Force will guide our actions. And consider the fact that we're no longer in immediate danger."

"No offense, Sis, but I don't think we should just sit back and do nothing. I'm not saying we should be brash, like Ranma suggested, either. But we've got to act."

"We will, little sister. When the time is right."

The right time, as it turned out, was a long way off. Their sentencing was followed by transport to a penal colony on a dusty rock. Whispers among the other prisoners they were grouped together with suggested that the moon was somehow infamous. Ranma learned exactly why that was the case as soon as he and his friends went through inmate orientation.

Prisoners on Krylon Two, the second moon of the local gas giant, weren't there to merely serve time. As it turned out, they were also made to work in the mines. It was basically slave labor. If they didn't meet quotas, food and water rations were withheld. It was hell in every sense of the word.

During the first week, he and his companions learned a lot more about how exactly the galactic conflict that had gotten them branded convicts had started. Their Twi'Lek acquaintance from the Mando capital ship, Baz was his name, had been a bit more open to conversation after sharing in their fate.

Roughly seven months earlier, a diplomatic envoy was sent to negotiate with the rulers of one of the prominent native systems who had been on the fence about joining up with the NGR. At that time, the government had just come off of a spat of isolationist policies and was looking to extend its reach. There had already been some cases of refugees being given asylum within the NGR's borders so there was precedent for intercultural relations.

The mission was spearheaded by ambassador Tandari of Beta-Ryloth who, along with with other members of the NGR delegation, sought to woo the native leaders with lucrative trade agreements and gifts of technology - which was thought to have been light years ahead of theirs. When their ship, the Benevolence, was ambushed just short of its destination, it was declared an act of war. That, along with a few cases of refugees setting off bombs, had caused fear and paranoia to spread across all of the NGR territories. The senate had declared martial law and closed its borders after that. The immigrant population was subsequently rounded up and placed either in prison colonies, similar to Krylon Two, or internment camps.

It was Baz's personal opinion that the governing powers of the native inhabitants of this galaxy saw members of The Great Migration as invaders despite all that they had been offered.

The Great Migration, as it was called, was a pivotal moment in the NGR's history. Baz had been unable to give the specifics, since it had happened long before his time, but was able to sum it up as thus; hundreds of years ago, several billion people fled their galaxy following a cataclysm and started the first ever intergalactic pilgrimage. After arriving in the new galaxy, they colonized several systems and started what would eventually become the New Galactic Republic.

It had been a lot to digest. Nabiki hadn't been as affected as he and Kasumi were since she didn't have memories of a past life to associate with. Kasumi had done her best to put up a strong front, but Ranma knew she was upset about it. While he couldn't be entirely sure she shared his motives, he knew something had drawn her to the idea that they could potentially return to a familiar place. For him, it had been the small hope of learning the fate of Padme's children. The confirmation that he would never have that opportunity had shaken him to his core.

Regardless, they had carried on as usual. Being a prisoner was no picnic and bigger problems had presented themselves.

Two weeks after completing the training necessary to operate the heavy machinery and other special tools required of miners, they had been given their first deep subterranean assignment. He and Kasumi had been shocked when they learned what they had been sent to unearth. The NGR was digging for Kyber crystals and not just the typical ones that went into certain blasters and other small ship systems. No, they were after the rare giant specimens. They and other prisoners were being used as free labor to support the industrial war machine. A machine with a grand and deadly agenda.

Kasumi knew a lot more about war than Ranma did and not just because she had been a Jedi General in the Clone Wars. Her previous incarnation had lived a much longer life than Ranma's. She had seen, first hand, what a fully operational weapon powered by giant Kyber crystals was capable of. Without going into every horrifying detail, she had shared with he and Nabiki the tale of her time as the Sith Lord, Darth Vader. Nothing less than an intra-galactic weapon of mass destruction would call for giant crystals.

Luckily, for them, Kyber crystals had other uses and the quest for the elusive giants had opened up a path with an abundance of the smaller specimens. Kasumi had been adamant that their suffering predicament had been for this very reason. With her knowledge at their disposal, they had been given a chance.

"Now, remember what I said," Kasumi reminded him. "Don't go looking for a crystal. Use what I've taught you. Open yourself to the Force and the right one will call to you."

Ranma acknowledged her with a nod before departing down a branching tunnel. His hard hat mounted flashlight illuminated the jagged surfaces as he slowly advanced. He quieted his mind and regulated his breath, as he had done many times before while performing kata. This time, though, he left his feelings open.

* * *

Kasumi and her sister kept a lookout for droid guards and tried to look busy while Ranma went on his quest. All seemed to be going well and, indeed, her senses told her Ranma was on the right track. So, after a sufficient amount of time, she began coaching Nabiki in anticipation of his return.

Unfortunately, the seismic alarm went off and the droid guards started rounding up the miners. Kasumi and Nabiki remained behind even as the ground, walls, and rock above their heads began to tremble with tectonic shifting. They couldn't leave without him.

When a guard came by and tried to haul them away, Kasumi had responded with Force; but not before it had radioed for backup. As the moon's crust continued to grow unstable, Kasumi volunteered to run and head the droids off so Nabiki could wait for Ranma. However, her sister had refused only to suggest that Kasumi be the one to stay behind and wait. She reasoned that if anyone was capable of surviving the potential cave-in, it was more likely to be she and Ranma as opposed to herself. Before Kasumi could come up with a suitable counter argument, Nabiki had bid her farewell and warned her that there would be hell to pay if she and Ranma failed to survive.

So it was that, several minutes after watching her sister depart, Kasumi heard the echoing footfalls of Ranma's ascent. A sudden spike in the severity of the quaking caused her to stumble at the same time that she heard Ranma's shout. He was clearly in distress. She seized the Force with a ferocity and passion not known to her since her time as Anakin and blurred into a speed saturated sprint.

She found Ranma pinned under the rubble of a partial tunnel collapse and wasted no time in reacting. Her roiling presence, at once, tightened, then spilled away from her body to blanket her immediate surroundings. The pile of boulders responded to her insistence and removed themselves from her friend so he could extricate himself.

"Are you okay?" she asked him, offering a hand.

Something in his eyes almost made her heart jump as he grasped her hand. "I am now," he replied as he got to his feet.

Kasumi shook it off and whirled around as fast as she could to break eye contact with her sister's husband. It was steadily becoming harder to remain objective and detached. "We've got to hurry up and get back to the surface; things are getting worse."

"What about Nabiki?" he asked.

"She's fine," Kasumi replied. "She lead the droids on a chase back up top so I could stay behind and make sure you made it."

"I guess we'd better get moving, then," he said.

They didn't make it more than a dozen meters before the tremors climaxed and caused rubble to rain down all around them. Kasumi had sensed it coming and grabbed Ranma by his hand so she could yank him forward and Force push him ahead of the cave-in. The resulting disaster caused her to black out; the last thought on her mind dwelling on her failure to accept that her newfound clarity had been nothing more than pretense. She had fooled herself into believing it would be easy to let go of her attachment while, in reality, her heart ached for Ranma's touch more than anything else.

She didn't know how much time had passed while she was unconscious but, when she awoke to find a bloodied Ranma partially buried under debris, it wasn't hard to connect the dots. The stubborn idiot had no doubt stayed behind in an effort to dig her out only to fall victim to an aftershock. He was obviously still breathing and, after pulling him out, she determined he was mostly unharmed. Still, she couldn't help but blame herself for his current state. Had she not involved him and her sister, this could all have been avoided. Now that she was aware of her persisting desire for him, she couldn't deny how selfish it had been to make a decision which would ensure his close proximity.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as she used torn off pieces of cloth to dab at his wounds. "This is all my fault. I wasn't truly ready and still I pulled you into this crusade." She heard him moan and froze for a moment. She let out a breath when she realized he was still unconscious. "Listen to me. I must sound so pathetic. I'm such a wreck that I can't even speak to you directly about this. Can't even admit how dishonest I've been," she added as her throat constricted with emotion.

After a brief struggle to maintain her composure, her watering eyes finally spilled tears; signaling the crumbling of her resolve. She leaned over him, face to face, and hovered mere centimeters from his lips. Oh how she desperately wished true love's kiss would end this nightmare in a fairy tale fashion. She closed the gap and brushed her mouth softly against his before quickly pulling away.

What was she doing? Ranma was married to her younger sister now. Indulging her desire was sure to invite shame and embrace betrayal. "Obi-Wan... you were right. This temptation is nearly beyond my control. What must I do to have relief?"

"Ugh, Kasumi? What's going on? Are you alright?"

She snapped her attention back to Ranma and felt the full force of her emotions rush back. "Ranma! I'm so glad you're okay," she said. "You had me worried. Why didn't you run away?"

"Heh," he snorted, humorlessly. "As if I'd actually leave you behind. Come on, you know me better than that."

"Promise me you'll never do that again, okay? I can take care of myself."

"And I can't?" he asked, indignantly, sitting up. "Listen, you don't get to boss me around just because I'm your Padawan. If you'll bother to remember, before you and I were burdened with these memories, I was the experienced protector. Give me some credit at least," he added. A beat passed before he noticed her melancholy state. "Wait, why are you crying?"

Kasumi wiped her tears with a hand before sucking in a ragged breath. "I don't know how much longer I can go on like this, Ranma. I'm really starting to believe it was a mistake to bring you along."

"Kasumi, what the hell are you talking about? You couldn't possibly expect to do this by yourself and succeed. Look, I know it must be hard to be the last of the Jedi, but Nabs and I... we're trying."

"That's not even what I'm talking about, you idiot! I'm in love with you! Can't you see that? I... I've been in denial this whole time, okay? I want you so bad that it kills me. Whenever I see the way you look at Nabiki, I can't help but wish it was me you were looking at."

Ranma's eyes widened in realization before narrowing and falling downcast. "Take it back," he said. "You hear me? You can't just come back into my life and drop a bombshell like that. Not when you're the one who ran away." He lifted his head to show her his glaring eyes; hardened, yet glistening with unshed tears. "You flipped my world upside down by triggering these memories and then just abruptly disappeared. Do you even realize how many nights I spent dreaming about you? Wanting you?"

"You... you did?"

"Yes, I did. And what did that get me? I pushed Akane away; so hard that she ran halfway across the world. Then I met Nabiki. The real Nabiki. If you ask either one of us we'll both admit that love was the furthest thing from our minds when we got together. But, still, it happened. It grew, unexpectedly, and drew us together. She helped me get over you without even realizing it. So don't you dare come and get between us. Got it? You had your chance and you made your choice."

"I see..." Kasumi said, hanging her head. She knew he was right. That didn't make it hurt any less, though. The atmosphere became subdued while she pondered just how she was going to live this moment down.

Ranma's movement caught her attention when he picked himself up off of the ground and started moving rocks with his bare hands. Seeing him take action reminded her that she didn't have time to waste moping. Their lives were in danger.

"Ranma." He paused his work to look at her over his shoulder. "Did you get your crystal?"

"Yeah, I did. Why?"

"Do you remember what it felt like? Connecting to your environment through the Force?" When he nodded, she continued. "Then stop using your hands to dig. Step back and use what you've learned. We can work together and clear the path much quicker that way. The air is starting to run out so we don't have time to waste."

Ranma did as instructed and, together, they dug themselves out.

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, things at the prison colony returned to normal. Tunnels were cleared of debris and the few unfortunates, who had been crushed to death, so that work could resume. Two things remained oddly out of place, though. Kasumi and Ranma.

Nabiki couldn't help but notice the absence of warmth that had once existed between them. Gone was the banter and other little tells they gave off when sharing an inside joke. Granted, their situation wasn't ripe with opportunity to find humor, but they had previously done their best to maintain an air of light hearted optimism. Now, all that seemed to remain was cold determination and a professional level of politeness. Something had happened between them, that much was obvious. Getting them to talk about it proved to be near impossible, though.

Despite that, the preparations for their escape plan had continued to move forward without further incident.

After secretly stealing tools and parts from the mining machinery, cannibalizing components for use in the construction of their lightsabers had been all too easy. Kasumi and Ranma had already finished theirs a few days earlier. The only reason Nabiki lagged behind was because of her choice to dual wield. Now that they were all properly armed, though, the real test could happen.

In addition to their Twi'Lek friend, Baz, they had recruited a couple of other trustworthy inmates to their cause who, as it turned out, were natives. Mavek, a Cardassian, was an older gentlemen who was a long-winded but well mannered. Hiren, a Romulan, was just a teenager but he was incredibly strong and fearless.

The six of them had worked together for the passed several days to quietly rally inmate support for an all out riot. Getting people to commit had been a huge hurdle, though, since they knew it was impossible for everyone to successfully escape and that some of them would be hurt or killed. Ultimately, Kasumi had had the three of them step in and pay each group a visit so they could personally deliver messages of hope and let them know that the Jedi were more than just a myth. Hope, it seemed, was the magic ingredient.

Timing was everything, though. If they didn't all rise up as one, then there was a chance it could all fall apart.

"Is everyone in position?" she asked over her radio. One by one, her five accomplices checked in and confirmed that the groups they had been placed in charge of were ready. "Good. When the prisoner transport lands, don't move until I give the signal. We only get one shot at this."

Nabiki, having devised the escape plan, was placed in charge of coordinating the operation. Since Krylon Two was almost entirely overseen by droids, it had been easy to exploit the repetitive habits of their robotic custodians. Although the correctional droids were pretty well armed and solidly built, they required maintenance like anything else. Every night after the prisoners were locked down in the residential block, the entire staff of droids would avail themselves of the industrial oil bath. All the dust, sand, and loose pebbles played havoc with their joints, after all.

When the skeleton crew of organics tasked with overseeing the night shift called for droid backup, they were going to be disappointed at the pitiful response. Nabiki had sent Ranma to sabotage the bath earlier in the day to ensure that any droids they encountered were either slow to move or just short of paralyzed.

"Here it comes. Wait for my mark," Nabiki said as she watched the boxy transport extend its landing struts and vent its belly thrusters as it descended toward the platform. She and a small group of twenty hid inside an empty shipping container near the platform so they could oversee the landing and make their move when the time came.

After touching down, the ramp was lowered and a half dozen soldiers exited to secure the perimeter. She had to make sure they thought everything was normal, at least for the next few minutes. If they got spooked before the ship had fully powered down, then the pilot could get it back in the air and make a hasty retreat within seconds. So, she waited.

After several more minutes, during which she watched the pilots through the window into the cockpit, she saw them vacate their seats and disappear from view. "We're good to go. Let's get rowdy," she said over her radio.

Within minutes of her order being acknowledged, a siren began blaring across the entire complex and put the soldiers guarding the platform on edge. By that time, Nabiki and her small contingent had repositioned themselves underneath the platform. They waited until the rest of the soldiers exited the craft and exposed themselves before acting. She counted twelve in total.

Nabiki steadied her breath as she mentally ironed out her plan of attack. If she did it right, nobody had to die.

"Commander, what should we do? The staff in the control box is asking us for assistance," one of the Mando soldiers said to another.

"Where are the droi-"

"Commander look out!" a third soldier yelled as he spotted Nabiki ignite her twin yellow sabers mid-leap.

Nabiki twisted in the air and deflected blaster fire before landing in the middle their group. She Force-pushed half of them to ground with one hand while cutting a blaster rifle in half with the other. "Now!" she shouted, signaling the rest of her group to climb onto the platform.

The distraction made it possible for Nabiki to spin her sabers in a flurry and slice off blaster muzzles being aimed in so many different directions. Only one or two soldiers got additional shots off before she destroyed their weapons. Luckily, nobody got hit. The soldiers she had floored had also had their weapons confiscated by some of her strike team.

"Nobody move!" she said as five of her men held the soldiers at blaster point. "If you cooperate, nobody has to get hurt."

"Nabiki, have you taken the ship yet?" Kasumi's voice said through the radio over the sound of blaster fire in the background. "We're taking more of a beating than we thought! These guys had Destroyers in storage!"

"Shit! Hold on. We'll be there in a minute," Nabiki replied before looking at the people around her. "Alright guys, let's get these soldiers tied up and out of the way. Those of you who have weapons I need in the ship with me."

Nabiki took her small armed team up the ramp and, after stunning the pilots, commandeered it. Within minutes, she was in the pilots seat guiding the transport to her friends at a low altitude. Since it was a military craft it had sufficient weapons with which she was able to take out the Destroyer droids pinning down the rest of her people.

Once they were gone, she watched two sabers, one green and one blue, begin cutting down swaths of standard prisoner droids as their wielders darted around the battlefield. Nabiki lowered the ramp as they hovered so that her armed companions could assist her with laying down blaster fire.

Sadly, by the time the opposition was eliminated, nearly half of their number had gone down. After setting the craft down in the middle of the walled off compound, she rescued just over eighty people - her friends included. Although theirs hadn't been the only mining complex on the rocky moon, they couldn't risk liberating the others lest they become bogged down in a prolonged conflict. It was a sure bet that the space station/refinery orbiting Krylon Two had seen what happened and would send for reinforcements as soon as possible. Thus, they made a quick stop back at the platform to pick up the stragglers before leaving it all behind.

"So, where exactly are we headed?" she asked of her sister once they had safely entered hyperspace. Her part of the planning had only extended as far as getting them out of jail.

Mavek cleared his throat, getting her and everyone else's attention, before deciding to speak. "If you'll allow me, miss Kasumi, I believe it would be appropriate for me to explain the rest."

"By all means," Kasumi said, with a nod. "I was about to suggest the same thing."

"Thank you," he replied with a polite smile. "As I've told you all once before, prior to my being sent to that dreadful rock, I had carved out quite the successful career as an art dealer. What I failed to mention was how I, an immigrant who came to the republic with not a credit to my name, gathered the necessary startup funds to open up my own boutique on New Alderaan's capital city. Well, the answer is that I haven't always been entirely legitimate."

Nabiki's opinion of the guy rose several notches upon hearing that admission. A fellow hustler was someone she could respect. Mavek then ventured into an unnecessarily lengthy explanation regarding some of his shadier deals, reminding them all that he was also a successful windbag. She decided to amend her earlier opinion after that.

Eventually he got back around to the original subject matter, the gist of which was that he knew of a smugglers moon near the edge of NGR space where they could sell their commandeered ship for scrap with no questions asked.

It hadn't escaped her that they would likely be branded fugitives and have bounties placed on their heads, so a secret hub of illegal activity seemed like the perfect place to purchase new identities. When she proposed the idea and Mavek stated he could arrange such a meeting, she, yet again, amended her opinion.

* * *

There it is folks! Sorry for the wait, but I've been busy blocking out the ending of this story. I now have a defined plan which entails three solid arcs. After this chapter, expect to wait around three to four weeks for the next entry as I fulfill my mission to get a two chapter lead. Once I have that lead, posting will come every two weeks.

For those of you worried about the Star Trek tie-in, fear not. This is very much a SW story. I always intended for ST to play a part in this since it is set in the milky way galaxy, but the heart of this is driven by characters dealing with the dark/light side of the Force.

Thanks again for the support and don't forget to review, favorite, and follow! Until next time.

-shoes


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